There are few things I love more than a new Karl Lagerfeld interview. YAY! Karl has been in NYC for a few days, toasting Tilda Swinton and being honored by Jessica Chastain, and because Karl has no filter, he couldn’t help but give a lengthy interview to NY Magazine. You can read the full thing here – that man can TALK, so it’s a really long piece. I just enjoyed some of Karl’s classic bitchisms and of course, anything he has to say about his one true love, his partner, his daughter, his cat Choupette. Some highlights:
Karl on red carpets: “It is a little too much sometimes. Especially when you see all those mermaids and fishtail gowns, going in to see movies about poor girls in Eastern Europe, there’s something a little shocking about it.”
Karl feels no pressure to dress celebrities: “No, no. Maybe some designers do, but if I can say something pretentious, I’m afraid I’m beyond that. And Chanel and Fendi are fashion. The typical cartoon of the red carpet, that’s not fashion. It’s always the same typical silhouette. But the red carpet, it’s something that exists. For some people, the photo-call is part of their daily lives, so.”
Karl on his inexpensive line for H&M: “I did H&M because today, fashion has to be well-designed, expensive or not expensive. I think it’s very important to make well-designed, modern clothes that are not too expensive. To make only very expensive clothes, it’s very démodé. And I am also doing couture. I am a completely different person when I am working on different collections. And I have no personality, as you see, so you know, it’s easy. You cannot say that one is better or worse. It’s completely different.”
Why he switched from dog-owner to cat-lover: “Well dogs, you need a country house, and you need to walk them in the street, and I cannot walk in the street anymore. I mean, you know, in the age of cell phones, forget about it. In the city, cats are very easy to keep, because they are so clean. She is the most beautiful cat in the world.”
How he came to be Choupette’s daddy: “She was not mine. A friend of mine [Ed. note: It was male model and Lagerfeld muse Baptiste Giabiconi], he had to travel, and he asked if I could take her into my house, where people could take care of her. And when he came back two weeks later, I said, “I’m sorry, Choupette will stay.” And he was very sweet. He got another one. But she is not as good as Choupette.”
Choupette is spoiled: “It is always difficult to analyze influence, but perhaps she helped me become a nicer person. Because there’s something very touching about her. And she is spoiled beyond. But I was spoiled, too, so I can spoil my cat.”
He doesn’t drink, smoke or do drugs: “I am very boring, but it has allowed me to survive better than other people. If you don’t drink, you don’t smoke, and you don’t do drugs, and you’re not missing it and never even wanted it, and you sleep for seven hours. I tell you, life is quite pleasant. You don’t feel tired or exhausted or things like that. You get out of bed and it’s time for the day. I’m quite boring.”
I can’t get enough of Karl and Choupette. They are the true love story of our time. Imagine leaving your kitten with Karl Lagerfeld for a few weeks, and when you come back for the kitten, Karl says, “No. She is mine now.” And I think he’s right, becoming a late-in-life cat person has made him a nicer person. He used to be bitchier. He used to be harsher. Choupette has made Karl a nicer person overall.
Photos courtesy of WENN, NY Magazine.
